Do you like the Iron Maiden albums “The X Factor” and “Virtual XI”? If you don’t, Steve Harris predicts you will – soon enough

One of the most difficult periods in Iron Maiden‘s illustrious history occurred in the mid-1990s. The band hired Wolfsbane frontman Blaze Bayley as their replacement vocalist when Bruce Dickinson left in 1993. Iron Maiden put out two albums under Bayley’s leadership: “The X Factor” in 1995 and “Virtual XI” in 1998. Bassist and bandleader Steve Harris maintains that the band’s early work generated strong music that merits a fair reevaluation, even if neither album was as critically acclaimed or as commercially successful. This is what he said, as reported from MetalInjection:

I said it at the time and I still believe it – those two are really strong, powerful albums and people will appreciate them later. And people are going back and discovering them and realizing they’re good. The X Factor in particular is really good, but it’s a dark album. Probably ‘cos I was in a bit of a dark place with Bruce leaving and me going through a divorce at the time, all this stuff going on. But what came out of that was a powerful album. You take negative stuff and you turn it into a positive and those emotions come out, and that’s what you can do with music. Music’s such a powerful thing.

Both “Virtual XI” and “The X Factor” had trouble reaching a larger audience when they were released, during a period when grunge and alternative rock dominated the charts. The band’s darker, more somber songs frequently caused polarization among listeners, and many fans found Dickinson’s soaring delivery to be a startling contrast to Bayley’s lower, gritty vocal approach. Despite the difficulties, Harris denies that Iron Maiden was on the verge of disbanding.

Only for a couple of hours. It’s like when West Ham lose – I sulk for two hours, but you have to pick yourself up, brush yourself down and get on with it. It’s the only way it’s going to work.

The Bayley years are still controversial but intriguing in retrospect; they were a time of experimentation that resulted in cult hits like “Sign of the Cross,” “The Clansman,” and “Futureal.” Additionally, by promoting the period’s virtues, Harris might inspire more fans to go back to a period when Maiden‘s future was uncertain.